


You don't need frying pans for baking

by AsgardianUmbraLupus



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Don't copy to another site, F/M, Fear of break in, Tony Stark Has A Heart, mostly just fluff, tiny bit of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-27 22:45:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18200012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsgardianUmbraLupus/pseuds/AsgardianUmbraLupus
Summary: This was written for @nerdy-bookworm-1998 's writing challenge on tumblr. My prompt was "I baked your favourite treats to apologise for hitting you with a frying pan". It turned out to be long enough for 2 parts. BTW I suck at coming up with titles.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nerdy_bookworm_1998](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdy_bookworm_1998/gifts).



 

Tony was sitting in his lab since hours without making any process. He was too exhausted to do more than fixing the right hand repulsor of his suit. The mission he’d just returned from had been exhausting. Well, wasn’t every mission…

He’d try to sleep but after tossing and turning without finding any sort of peace he gave up, got himself some coffee and went to the tower’s lab.

After fixing the repulsor he started fiddling around with some new projects but couldn’t get anything done. He then looked at some software he wanted to update but the programming looked like hieroglyphics to his overworked brain. Calling you had been a returning idea but he didn’t want to wake you up. He had woken you up and robbed you of your sleep way too often since you were more than friends. You never seemed to mind it but he wouldn’t even know what to say if he called now.

Maybe there was another option, though. He could just go to your place. He could quietly make it into your apartment and just sneak into bed with you. He wouldn’t be alone. As much as he hated to admit it being alone was a part of the problem with getting some sleep. He had gotten used to Pepper in his bed before their break had become an end. He didn’t sleep much but definitely more with her by his side. Then there was a whole lot of almost no sleep and then, when you were there, there was some sleep again at least. But you weren’t at a point where moving in together was the next step already. Or were you?

Tony sighed and rubbed his face. He was overthinking and procrastinating again. He got up, went to his bedroom and grabbed some fresh clothes and his jacket. Right after that he made his way into the garage and got into his Audi.

New York’s traffic was a little easier at night although the streets were still very much alive. He was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel whenever he came to a stop at a traffic light or couldn’t drive as quickly as he wanted. Luckily your apartment building appeared in front of him and he took the parking space that belonged to your apartment. The spot was always free since you didn’t have a car.

As he reached the entrance he shortly wondered why it was open in the middle of the night but didn’t think much of it.

Reaching your door he started to search his pockets for the keys you had given him. He searched every available pocket, even the bag with his clothes. Groaning he let his shoulders slump. They were in the leather jacket he had worn the last time he was here.

He came up with three possibilities. He could drive back and get them, but he was too lazy to do that. Waking you up by ringing your door bell or calling you was also an option but you’d surely want to talk about how he was, which was a normal thing since you cared for him.

Or he could pick your lock. His lazy and tired mind considered the last was the best option so he looked through his pockets again and found a little multitool he often carried around just in case. If you had an electronic lock he could have hacked it. Not that picking a normal lock was any challenge.

Tony bent down and got to work. As quiet as possible he wiggled the tool up and down to bring the tumbler pins into the right position.

After a few seconds everything clicked into place. While pushing the door open, Tony thought about getting you a new lock because if he could pick it someone else surely could, too.

That was his last thought for the moment. Tony wasn’t even fully through the door when something hit him hard enough to send him to sleep. This wasn’t the way he expected to fall asleep but he couldn’t fight it…

 

 

You had been lying in your bed and staring at the ceiling. In the last six days there had been four break-ins in your apartment building. Two times the apartments that were robbed had been empty but the other two times the burglar had broken into apartments where women were alone at home. The lock at the front door of the building still hadn’t been changed because no matter how many people complained, the custodial engineer didn’t really seem to care. If you would have made it to the hardware store you would just have done it by yourself. You were an engineer working for the Avengers. Changing a lock was a piece of cake. The more difficult part would have been getting keys done for all the residents. Annoyed with everything you turned around again to face the bedroom door. You knew you probably wouldn’t sleep properly until the burglar was caught. If Tony was there you surely would feel safer. But he didn’t stay very often. If you spent the night together you usually were in the tower with him. He just needed all his stuff around him to fully relax. Well, as much as someone like Tony could relax. You had no idea how long you already lay there as your ears slowly picked up on a sound. It came from the hallway. Getting up and walking to your apartment door you realised someone was trying to open it without a key. Adrenaline rushed through you and you had always been a fight rather than flight type so you spun around and looked at your options. In the hallway nothing seemed like a good weapon. You really should keep a baseball bat by the door. The kitchen was next to the apartment door so you rushed in and grabbed a big frying pan. “That should do”, you muttered to yourself while taking position behind your door. With shaking hands and white knuckles you tried to breathe as calmly as possible. The burglar wouldn’t be able to see you straight away and you could land a good blow from here. After that you could alarm some neighbours and call the police.

Your heart hammered heavily and fast in your chest while the seconds seemed to pass like hours. Until the lock made its final clicking sound and the door started moving slowly. You could hear your blood rush. You stabilised your grip on the pan and lifted it over your shoulder. As soon as you could see a dark head appear you swung the pan like a tennis racket. The impact felt harder than you imagined. Just to make sure you ripped your arms back into swinging position, although there wasn’t a need for a second hit. The burglar wobbled and went down. He landed with a dull thud and his body pushed the door further open. You wanted to step over him, to turn on the lights in your hallway and outside, to go get some neighbours when you took a closer look at the knocked out man on the floor. You could see his back moving with every breath his unconscious body drew in and blew out. He seemed familiar. Even in the dark. You felt like you should recognise the proportions of his body, his size and shape.

It hit you like a car driving full speed into a brick wall.

“Tony!” You basically threw yourself to the ground and turned him around. “Oh my god Tony, wake up!”

You twisted so you could reach up to the light switch. As soon as the lights were on you searched the ground and Tony’s head for blood but luckily there was none.

For a concussion you didn’t need blood, though. You slapped his face lightly while calling his name and trying to wake him up. In his Iron Man suit he was almost invincible but without it he was just a human. A human you could apparently knock out. You needed to get him to a doctor. First you wanted to call the ambulance but then you thought he’d surely want to be in the medical department of the Avengers Tower. For cases of emergency Tony had given you Happy’s number. You scrambled up and ran to your bedroom. From the bedside table you grabbed your phone and called him. With your phone at your ear you hurried back to Tony who was still lying halfway in your apartment and halfway outside. After the third dial tone Happy picked up. His voice was gruff from sleeping.

“What?” you could hear the annoyance in his voice.

“Happy? It’s me (Y/N).”

“(Y/N)? Why are you calling me at four in the morning? Do you know how busy I am? I need to be a hundred percent concentrated-“

“Happy”, you tried to interrupt.

“-to make sure everything works the way it’s supposed to. Do you know what I-“

“Happy!”

“-have to put up with all day? No, you don’t. I need my sleep to be-“

“HAPPY! I NEED YOUR HELP!”

“Don’t yell at me. Just come to the point. Jesus Christ”, he complained.

God, conversing with this man was difficult.

“Tony is unconscious in my apartment and he needs-“

“What?” he barked into the phone. “How did that even happen?”

“I hit him with a pan”, you meekly confessed.

“Why did you do that? What the hell do you both do when you’re alone?”

“Nothing that involves a pan! It was an accident.” _Oh god, this would be awkward_.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes. Make sure nothing happens meanwhile.”

Before you could say anything more he hung up. At least he’d bring Tony to a doctor. This situation felt like hours already while maybe it had been three minutes since you had smashed the pan against Tony’s head. You were just thinking about how you could get him to the sofa when a quiet groan left his throat.

“Tony?” you moved into his line of view.

“(Y/N)…” he looked confused, his eyes darting around your face and the surroundings.

“Does your head hurt? Are you dizzy?”

He looked as if thinking took him longer than usual. Before he answered his hand went to his head, patting the spot where you had hit him.

“I’m fine. Just a little headache”, he mumbled while he slowly pushed himself up.

“Be careful, Tony.” You took his hands and helped him onto his feet. “You could have a concussion.” Together you walked into your living room. He had an arm wrapped around your shoulders and held on for a little stability.

As you reached your sofa you let him slump down. The movement seemed to have been a little quick for him, though. He winced and reached for his temples as soon as he had landed on the sofa. You quickly went to the kitchen and got a cool aid that you brought Tony and carefully placed it on his head.

“Thanks,” he looked up to you. His soft brown eyes were still filled with confusion. You brushed your hand through his hair. He looked so tired. There were dark circles under his eyes and they looked like they were there before he had been knocked out by you. He tried to get his poker face back on. Looking vulnerable wasn’t what he wanted. But his voice still was languid when he spoke.

“What happened? I know I came here but what the hell happened then?”

“I thought you were a burglar”, the words came out quieter than you expected them to. You were just so damned sorry and had no idea how to make up for it.

“Why did you think I was a burglar? That also doesn’t explain why I was passed out on the floor in your hallway.”

“I hit you with a frying pan”, you mumbled without meeting his gaze.

“Nice swing, darling,” that was not what you had expected.

“Tony, I’m so sorry. It just didn’t sound like opening the door with keys and there have been break-ins in the last week and I anyway couldn’t sleep because I was afraid. The burglar still hasn’t been caught and the door downstairs is still broken and I don’t even have a door chain, which is really stupid. I should get one.”

“It’s okay”, he took your hand and pulled you down so you sat down with him.

“I think I forgot the key and actually picked your lock. Technically I broke in. But why didn’t you just stay at the Tower or call? You can’t stay at a place where you don’t feel safe.”

“Tony, you were on a mission and I’m not just gonna move into your apartment in the Tower while you’re not there. Also I think I would have handled a burglar quiet fine as you noticed”, you countered.

“But staying at a place that isn’t safe just isn’t clever”, he was going to argue with you. You could basically see it in his face already. His posture changed, too. His spine straightened and he turned to you. Before he could continue and monologue you into the ground Happy’s voice rang through your apartment.

“(Y/N)?” he came marching into your living. He was in his signature black suit and white shirt. Just the tie was missing and his hair looked a little messy.

“Hi,” you quickly greeted him and before you could continue he was already in action.

“Boss, I’ll bring you to the medical immediately”, he extended his arm to Tony so he could pull himself up from the sofa.

You watched as Tony grabbed Happy’s underarm and wanted to get up. Happy was hectic as usual and as soon as Tony’s hand was around his arm he basically yanked him up. If Happy hadn’t by now learned to leave Tony some space he surely would have carried him out. Before they were out the door Tony turned around.

“You’re coming with us, right?” it was a question but you knew there wasn’t an option by his stern expression. He did realise you still were in your pyjamas, though.

“Just throw something on and let’s go”, he nodded his head towards your door.

“Boss, we need to get going.”

“Why don’t you both already get to the car and I’ll follow you as soon as I’m dressed”, you offered. Happy just nodded and dragged Tony along.

Getting dressed didn’t take you more than a minute. You grabbed your handbag and sped down the stairs. Happy’s car was parked right in front of the entrance and he had just put Tony in the back. You hopped in beside him and Happy immediately took off.

The ride to the Tower was quiet and over quick. You were relieved that no awkward interrogation about how it happened had ensued.

Right after arriving Tony was checked by the doctors and given some painkillers and some other medication. They told him to rest and take it slow for the next twenty-four hours. He had a minor concussion and the medication he received would help to speed up the healing. Meanwhile you had quickly dropped by in your lab, which was only a few floors down, and left a note saying you wouldn’t come to work today. Right after Tony was done with the doctors you shuffled him to bed. He wasn’t really happy about that but as soon as you were both stretched out and you ran your fingers through his hair he dozed off. Tony lay on his side with his arm under your head. For a few more moments you watched him sleep and observed the spot where you had hit him. The skin was turning all kinds of purple and blue. You felt bad. He had wanted to come to your place. For some reason he had tried to sneak in, after he had returned from a mission. He surely didn’t feel good and then you gave him a concussion. While you started to drift off yourself, you thought that you should do something for him. Something that would at least plant a little smile on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was written for @nerdy-bookworm-1998 's writing challenge on tumblr. My prompt was "I baked your favourite treats to apologise for hitting you with a frying pan". It turned out to be long enough for 2 parts. BTW I suck at coming up with titles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who read the first part, I hope you also enjoy the 2nd part!

After two days at the Tower your door had a new lock, just like the entrance door to the building and the burglar had been caught. Tony had taken care of everything.

F.R.I.D.A.Y. had found the burglar within a few hours and Tony let the police know where to get him.

You were back at home and finally feeling safe again. It was Saturday so you had time and an idea of what you could do for Tony. He once –after a few drinks- told you that Jarvis used to bake some traditional English cupcakes when Tony was little and that he had loved them. At some point Tony remembered that Jarvis’ wife Ana had told him they were called butterfly cakes. You then did your research and found a traditional recipe that must have been close enough to Jarvis’ recipe. You had already made them once and for a split second you had a good idea of how Tony must have looked as a child. The excitement at his favourite baked goods from the past had been obvious in a big smile on his face.

You started baking. Making the batter and baking it was done quickly. What ate most of the time was waiting for the fine cupcakes to cool.

It took them more than an hour to have lost every bit of heat in them.

You cut a piece out of the top. Making sure it was nicely round and didn’t break. You filled each cake with a spoonful of raspberry jam and topped it with a dollop of cream. After they all were filled you cut the round tops in half and put them in the cream so that they looked like butterfly wings. A little powdered sugar on top and they were ready. You had to smile to yourself. These pretty and traditional treats would make you think of a lot of thinks but usually not of someone like Tony Stark. Five-star menu seemed more like him. But sometimes things only don’t seem to fit together until you take a closer look.

You packed the butterfly cakes into a box for transporting them and put them in the fridge. That would make them a little more stable for the journey to the Tower.

 

You were just finished with getting dressed and drying your hair when you heard someone move around in your apartment. For a split second fear crept up your spine before your conscious mind told it was in the middle of the day and the burglar had been caught. This could only mean one certain guest. You then heard him call your name.

“In the bedroom!” you called while taking of your shoes again.

“Is that an invitation?” he smirked at you while coming in.

You went to him and kissed him, his arms already making their way around your waist.

“It wasn’t meant as an invitation but you know you’re always welcome”, you smiled at him, noticing that the bruise your pan had left on his temple still wasn’t completely gone.

“I didn’t wanna hear anything else.” He planted another kiss on your lips. “I actually wanted to take you out for dinner, though. We can still come back later and then you could properly invite me in.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at you which made a heartfelt laugh bubble up your throat. You loved when he was in a good enough mood to be playful and didn’t just use his humour to cover up whatever was really going on.

“Dinner?” you asked while running your hands over the ACDC print on his T-Shirt.

“Yup, isn’t that what couples do on weekends? Go out, hold hands, watch a movie and eat something together?”

“That is what couples do. At least I’ve heard so.” You thought about the treats waiting in your fridge and thought about just staying, eating cupcakes and cooking for the both of you later. That would surely be more private because when you went out with Tony there were always some people to recognise him and ask for autographs or pictures. In your apartment you definitely had him for yourself alone.

“We could do all of that here, too. You know, we can hold hands while watching a movie. I’m the proud owner of a nice TV, you know”, you suggested.

“Really a TV? Incredible. Not many people have those.”

“Amazing, isn’t it?”

“So you’d rather stay at home?”

“Yup, I just took of my shoes again because I heard you.”

“You did wanna go out”, he looked at you as if he was analysing you. “You just don’t wanna go out with me.”

“You got me. Who would wanna be seen with Tony Stark? That’s surely something you understand”, now you were the one smirking.

A dramatic gasp left him and he placed his hand on his chest, feigning offense.

After chuckling at his antics you explained what really had been your plan.

“I wanted to go to the Tower to see you because I’ve got something for you.”

You made your way out of your room and into the kitchen with Tony right behind you. You got the cupcakes and placed them on the counter as Tony stood beside you. Opening the box you turned around to him. “ **I baked your favourite treats to apologise for hitting you with a frying pan.** ” The guilt was still creeping into your voice while Tony sported a big grin.

“You don’t have to be sorry but if you’ll bake these more often if you feel like apologising to me you can hit me with a pan any time”, he gave you a quick peck and already took the first butterfly cake.

“I wouldn’t like to feel sorry all the time. Maybe I just bake them without having to hurt you?”

“That’s a good idea. I like the way you think”, he mumbled around a mouthful of the cupcake. You chuckled and shook your head.

“How about we take these with us to the sofa and get comfortable?”

“Another good idea”, he agreed and made his way to your living room. “How many do you think I can eat before it’s just weird?”

“I made them for you. Technically you could eat them all but I don’t know if that’s a good idea if you wanna eat anything else later.”

“A second one definitely isn’t too much, though”, he said while reaching into the box again.

You started searching for a movie you both hadn’t seen yet while Tony stuffed himself with a third cupcake. You were already nestled against him and his feet rested on your coffee table beside the box with the butterfly cakes.

“I wanted to take you out to talk about something”, he shuffled around beside you. You already expected him to get up and walk around like he always did when he talked about stuff that bothered him and you had the impression that something did bother him.

“Is something wrong?” you sounded more worried than you wanted to. You had no clue what could be up or what he wanted to talk about.

“I just thought about something and wanted to make you an offer.” He shoved the last bite of the third cake into his mouth and didn’t talk until he had swallowed it. Meanwhile your head was racing what offer could he make you? But before you could build any scenarios he continued.

“Wouldn’t it be easier if you’d move into the Tower?” Your thoughts came to an abrupt halt. You just looked at him. Probably a little dumbfounded.

“You’d be closer to work and there would be no risk of any burglar making his way in.” He looked at you and waited for an answer. Apparently you took too much time to reply because he started talking again.

“Of course you don’t have to and you wouldn’t have to move in with me. The Tower is big enough and has spare rooms. You could have your own apartment in there. It was just an idea. I mean you’re there every day of the week for work and on weekends you’re often there with me-“ you realised he was babbling and decided to interrupt him.

“Tony, did you wanna ask me if I would want to move in with you?”

“Yes, but-“

“I’d like that.”

“What?” he looked as if he lost his train of thought.

“I’ve thought about that a few times”, you admitted. “I like being around you and when this whole burglar bullshit was happening I already knew that I’d feel better if you were there”, you shrugged your shoulders as if that was the simplest answer. Which it wasn’t but you didn’t know what else to say or how to express how much you liked the idea of living with Tony even though he wasn’t an easy person.

“So you want to move in with me and not just into the Tower?” he was scanning you with a small frown on his face.

“Yes, that’s what I meant.”

“That’s great,” he sat up and his hands started to move through the air while he talked. “Then we need to get your stuff to the Tower. What about your furniture? Do you wanna have it stored somewhere or do wanna sell some things?” That was typical. Jumping into action rather than enjoying the moment.

“We’ll figure it out. I can start packing soon and some of my stuff can be donated. How about we do go out and celebrate the next step a little?” you were too happy to just talk about all the things you needed to do.

“We can do that. How about that Italian restaurant we’ve been to?”

“You mean the one with the Al Capone atmosphere with the amazing Pasta Vongole?”

“Yes, that one”, he nodded.

“You have to reserve a table, remember?”

He picked his sunglasses out of his jacked and put them on.

“Do I?” he asked with a cocky smirk. “How about being seen with Tony Stark now?”

 He pulled you up from the sofa and kissed you. The kiss was more than you had expected. It wasn’t just a quick peck but a kiss that said more than Tony usually put in words. Your arms wrapped themselves around his neck while his hands rested on your hips. He seemed to be taking all the time in the world to slowly get to know every bit of your lips, even though you had kissed uncountable times already.

It was soft and deep and Tony still tasted of the butterfly cakes.

When he pulled back you almost had forgotten what you wanted to do. You just stood with your arms wrapped around his neck and looked at him. “You’ll have to put on shoes at least, (Y/N/N).”

“What?” there was an amused smile spreading on his face already. But before he could mock you your brain got with the game again.

“Let me just change quickly. I’ll hurry and you don’t eat more cupcakes!” you rushed to your bedroom. Of course after you told him no Tony had to eat another of his treats.

You hurried as much as you could. You threw on your favourite dress with some pumps and a light jacket. After that you applied some lipstick and added some eyeliner to the mascara you already wore. You also made quick work with your hair and were ready to go.

Tony was already waiting. He already had his leather jacket on and his hands in his pockets while looking at your bookshelf.

“You look great”, he came closer and stole another small kiss.

“Thanks, but that’s really just what I got done in ten minutes”, you smiled.

“Time’s relative”, he shrugged. “Doesn’t change that you look great.”

“Okay Einstein, thank you”, you laughed. He offered you his hand and you took it.

“Let’s go, love.”

He held your hand all the way to the car until he opened the door for you. Before getting in, you leaned in to kiss him. He just smiled and kissed you once more in return before you got into the car and he closed the door.

You both were on the same wavelength about your next step and that left a big smile on your face.


End file.
